Fall Has Arrived

Summer of 2012 was a real endurance test. After a warm dry winter we went directly into a scorching summer with temps in the nineties and over one hundred every day for months. We had no rain until  very recently and had to conserve water.  We provided drinking water for the birds and squirrels and kept the dogs' pool time to a minimum.

This summer we did not water the lawn, trees or shrubbery. They had to make it on their own and unfortunately, some didn't survive.

But suddenly autumn has arrived with cool mornings and evenings and some rain. The grass is looking green again if you overlook the bare spots here and there. There is some color around the yard these days too. Since I'm spending a lot of time outside walking my sick dogs around the yard, I've noticed it and decided to share it

If you stand under the plum tree and look toward the back of the house this is what you see.

The white flowers in the front are Crepe Myrtle.

Then you see part of the Yew hedge and the pink flowers are another Crepe Myrtle.

We have two Pyracantha hedges, one along the property line and one on the side the fence. This time of the year they are covered with berries. The birds will clean them off soon.

In front of the fence we have several Nandina, a form of dwarf bamboo. It also has clusters of berries.

Inside the fence we have three Crabapple trees and they now have their tiny little apples.

The Butterfly Bush is still in flower and still getting lots of visitors.

Rob's rose bush is putting out some late blooms.

We even have some little wildflowers still in bloom.

After such a terrible summer, it's really nice to see some bright patches of color.

For those of you asking about Samba, here she is, skinny and weak, but still here beside me and getting a little better each day.

She's trying very hard to get well. Today she ate 2 1/2 cups of kibble and two cans of tuna. She and Sky slept thru the night letting me sleep from 11 last night till 6:15 this morning. That's the first time in months that I haven't been outside several times during the night.

Yesterday we sent stool samples from Samba, Sky and Fudge to the university for some extensive testing. They are going to try and determine just what has been making the dogs sick and hopefully how to treat it. Dr B also started both Samba and Sky on a different antibiotic and they both seem to be responding well. Sky seems more alert today and Samba is eating and her stool is much improved. I feel better today knowing that others are trying to help find a solution for my pups.

We're Still Here

Well, we made it thru the weekend. Samba is being like a spoiled child about eating. She has decided that she doesn't like liver. Ok, I can't blame her for that one. On Sunday I made her a cheeseburger of her very own. She ate the cheese and left the burger. I offer her two bowls of dog food each morning with two different varieties of kibble. One day she'll eat one type and refuse the other. The next day it's just the reverse. I never know what she'll eat from hour to hour.

Except for tuna. She has decided that she loves canned tuna. The vet said to feed her the kind packed in oil, so that's what I do.

Today she has eaten almost a cup of kibble, several pieces of cheddar cheese and three cans of tuna. She also drank a bottle of Boost for extra vitamins.

This afternoon we went to the vet's office with her and Sky. I held my breath when they put her on the scales. She had gained two whole pounds since Friday. To be absolutely sure we took her into another room and weighed her on different scales, but the result was the same.

The news isn't as good for Sky. He has become sicker since Friday and has lost four pounds. His fever was also up.

Dr B made another call to the veterinary school at the University of Missouri. They feel we should do a lab test on the stools of Samba, Sky and one of the dogs who has recovered and check for a number of different things. So on Friday I'll be donning rubber gloves and following them around with little cups for samples.

Morgan became sick on Monday but seems to be recovered today. The doctor feels that Samba has a chance if she continues to gain weight, but we're aware that she has other things  going on and we may not have her with us for long. Right now we're worried most about Sky. He's young and healthy and shouldn't be having such a hard time fighting this off.   Let's hope this test will tell us once and for all what we're dealing with and how to fix it.

One Last Chance

Hi bloggers, I want you to know that I've been reading your posts whenever I get some spare time even though I haven't been able to leave many comments. I'm trying to get back to my normal blogging time, but things have been a little hectic around here.

I want to let you all know where things stand with Samba's illness. The Tylan didn't work for either Samba or Sky. Samba has continued to go downhill, refusing to eat anything or to take meds except by force. The diarrhea also continues for both of them. Bailey and Tess are both doing much better and by the end of next week should be back to normal.

I made the decision on Wednesday that next Monday morning we'll put Samba down. I called the vet and told him. On Friday morning he called and asked if I still felt the same and I said that I had not changed my mind. He asked me to bring her in, that he wanted to examine her and talk to me.

Samba is down to 30 pounds now and is very frail. His examination showed that she is not in pain and is not running a fever. He said if I'm determined to euthanize her on Monday, there's one last thing he wanted to try. If it works it could save her, if it doesn't work she'll spike a fever, become  very sick, perhaps collapse and we'll have to let her go immediately. He said that if it fails and we lose her, we'll know that we tried everything we could do. I listened to his plan and agreed to try it.

He gave Samba an injection of Dexamethasone and one of Vitamin B12. He wants me to give her a high dose of Prednisone every day plus an antibiotic and some B12. We'll know in just a few days if this will work. The high amounts of steroids will bring back lots of side effects such as thirst, frequent urination, tremors, etc. One of the good effects might be increased appetite.

Dr B also listed several foods he wanted me to try and feed her, things he doesn't usually recommend such as chicken liver breaded and fried in olive oil and tuna packed in oil. He wants her to get lots of calories.

So what's happening? Last night Samba got hungry. She ate about half a dozen boiled shrimp and at bedtime had a small bowl of yogurt. This morning she ate some dog food and half a can of tuna. Mid morning she tried some of the fried liver. She's being much more cooperative about taking her meds today, too. So far there's no fever and she's resting comfortably.

As for Sky, Dr B says he's in no danger as of now. He had a bit of a fever yesterday and is now taking an antibiotic. He hasn't lost any weight and the doctor thinks the diarrhea will improve soon.

So now we wait.

A Relentlessly Huge Party

A very loud noise woke us all up in the wee hours of the morning. We mistakenly thought it was thunder.

It was actually a relentlessly huge party at the Rainbow Bridge to welcome the world famous Mango as he arrived.

I'm sure the bridge is hopping today With Tsar singing......

.... and The Mango dancing.

Listen closely tonight for sounds of singing, dancing and laughter as the residents of the Bridge continue their party.

Down But Not Out or Why I Love The Internet

When last we posted on Friday, things were looking up. Samba was eating very small amounts and keeping them down. She had gained half a pound and the dreaded diarrhea was easing up.

What a difference a day can make! Saturday was a very bad day for Samba and me. When I served her breakfast, she informed me that she didn't want it. I went thru all the choices that she had previously shown interest in, but she just walked away. Then I tried giving her the anti nausea pill thinking perhaps she was feeling queasy. No go! She refused to take her meds or to even open her mouth. Instead she asked to go out. We did, only to discover the watery diarrhea was back.

The whole day was like that. We made numerous trips outside and she had numerous bouts of diarrhea, but she absolutely refused to open her mouth.

Sunday morning I expected another battle, but she was amazingly agreeable and took all her meds without a fuss. Then she ate a few pieces of dog food. But the day went downhill from there. She continued with the runny poop and she refused to eat anything for the rest of the day and wouldn't take her meds.

This morning, once again, she refused food or pills. I didn't sleep well last night and I expected I might have a very unhappy post for you today. BUT don't count us out yet.

When I got involved with Portuguese Water Dogs, I joined the National Breed Club and became familiar with other owners and breeders of Porties. Because the dogs were fairly rare, we shared a lot of information with each other. We have the Georgie Project and The PWD Foundation, both working on health issues in the breed and we have several internet lists where we can put out questions and get the benefit of each other's experience.

Yesterday two other Portie owners sent me info thru the lists. They had each gone thru the same problems of uncontrolled diarrhea and loss of weight. One had gone on for months and the dog almost died. Then they each tried a certain drug and in both cases it got the diarrhea under control and both dogs gained their weight back and are now doing well more than a year later.

I looked up the drug and discovered that it's for livestock and not approved for use in dogs, but many vets have used it with good results. First thing this morning I called Dr B and asked him about it. Rob went over to pick it up and we're trying it on both Samba and Sky.

There is a catch, isn't there always? The stuff is a powder with an extremely bitter taste and dogs don't like it. Sky isn't too much of a problem, I can pry his big mouth open and stuff it down his throat, but Miss Samba is another story. Dr B sent home a bottle of some sweet, sticky syrup to mix with the bitter powder to try and fool them. When we mixed the two, it formed a sticky ball of goo. No problem with Sky, I just threw that mess down his throat and he even licked the spoon.

Rob held Samba and of course she clamped her jaw closed, but I went in from the side of her mouth and when she opened it to try to spit my finger out I tossed in the sticky ball of goo. Then I held her mouth closed for a very long time till she had to finally swallow. Done!

About 20 minutes later Samba told me she had to go out. I leashed her up and she had a messy bout of diarrhea in the yard. Sky wasn't so lucky. It sneaked up on him and he didn't make it out quite fast enough. Rob shooed him out the door and cleaned up the floor, then we walked them both around for a while. Sky had a belch that measured on the Richter Scale. Then they both went inside and went to sleep.

Well, that was a reaction of some kind. Let's hope the next dose has a slightly better outcome.

Anyway, we're all still here and I want to thank everyone who has sent suggestions. When you have nothing left to lose, a suggestion from the magic internet might be the thing that turns the tide.

My Roller Coaster Ride

The last couple weeks have been filled with highs and lows. When Samba has a good day I get my hopes up that we've turned a corner and have the illness under control. Then she'll have a very bad day that sets us back to the starting line all over again. I can't tell you how many of these sudden changes we've been through. This morning we had another vet visit and I wanted to let you know where we stand going into the weekend.

Yesterday Samba ate almost a cup of kibble, the most she's eaten in weeks. She kept it down and slept though the night. This morning she wanted Morgan's breakfast, so Morgan shared some of her dog food with her sick friend. Her stool was about the same as the last two days.

We headed for the vet's office for her Cerenia injection for nausea. When we arrived we had to face the dreaded scales. She had already dropped from her normal 52 pounds to 33.  But the news was great. She has gained half a pound since Tuesday. The vet checked her over  and we discussed her diet and meds for the weekend. He and I were both pleased that she's actually gained instead of losing more weight.

Getting Samba to eat is a full time job. Because she's been so sick and had a constant stomach ache for weeks, my girl who would eat anything, now has become super picky. She equates food with feeling bad and if she eats something and then feels sick, she won't eat that food again. She won't touch certain dog foods nor hamburg and rice or chicken  and potatoes. Those are all things that she's tried in the past couple weeks but she then felt sick, so she won't try them again.

Fortunately, when I was a little girl I had a Cocker Spaniel and I decided I was going to train her to do tricks. I asked my Grandfather how to train her and he gave me some great advice. He said to be a successful dog trainer, you have to be smarter than the dog.

I made a great discovery the other day. I moved a bag of dog treats to reach something else and I saw Samba's head come up and she looked excited. Samba can't have treats, we have to be careful about what she eats, but I knew she wanted them.


If you remember, last week we received a surprise package from the Science Diet people. In  the box were two bags of treats, but there were also two sample bags of their new dog food. My dogs think that treats come in small bags and the dog food samples were sitting on the counter next to the treats. I picked up the small bag of dog food, opened it and offered each of the dogs a piece. They all thought it was excellent, including Samba.

The next time Samba came in from outside I offered her a couple pieces of the new dog food treat and she happily chewed them up. I started rewarding everyone with the dog food samples. I'd give Samba three pieces for each piece the others ate. Sometimes I'd give her a handful after going out or waking from a nap. She didn't realize it, but she was eating more and more dog food disguised as a treat.

This morning I realized we were running out of the samples, so we made a quick trip to buy a larger bag of this new food. In the privacy of the laundry room, I refilled the little sample bags and the next time I offered a treat they all got some of the new dog food. Samba doesn't know that I'm refilling the sample bags from a large bag of dog food. As far as she's concerned she's been rewarded with a yummy new treat. I just hope I can continue to fool her until her stomach ache is gone and her appetite returns.

On The Edge

Thank you to all of you who have left encouraging comments  and emailed me asking about my sick fur kids. I'll give you an update on the situation.

Most of my dogs have had this illness which causes loss of appetite, vomiting and watery diarrhea. It took Fudge about three weeks to get over it, but some of the others have gotten better much faster. Morgan was sick for about 36 hours and is now fine again.

We don't know exactly what we're dealing with but we've eliminated many possibilities and my vet and the vets at the University feel the dogs probably have salmonella poisoning from wildlife in the yard. Raccoons, opossum, and skunks can all bring the disease into backyards and leave it in their urine, feces and saliva. It's highly contagious and when the dog investigates the area or drinks from infected water, they can pick it up.

Sky is in his second week of the illness.

He's eating and drinking well and is on medication, so we're hoping that he soon starts showing some improvement

Last week Tess became sick, but was much improved in about four days.

On Tuesday morning Bailey became sick. She is doing better but is still on medication and special food.

Then there's Samba. Because of her MMM and long term steroid use to control it, her immune system is compromised. She is a very sick dog. She's been sick for about a month now and hasn't shown any real improvement. She'd have a good day followed by a complete crash. In the past two weeks she has lost eleven pounds and is so frail that I worry about breaking a bone when I handle her.

Because of the vomiting and uncontrollable diarrhea, she is getting no nutrition from the small amount of food that I can coax her to eat. Her body had started feeding on itself. She has no fat left and now the muscle is being used to keep her alive. On Tuesday morning when the vet examined her, he said that we're very close to the point of no return. If she loses about two more pounds, her body won't be able to come back from this.

On Tuesday she received an injection for nausea.  He said that her intestinal tract is a mess, but she's still a happy dog and suggested I try feeding her liver. Over several hours  that day she ate four chicken livers and about 1/4 cup of kibble. The injection worked and she didn't vomit and went for 32 hours without a bout of diarrhea.

The next day she didn't want liver anymore, but did manage to eat about 1/2 cup of kibble with each piece being hand fed. Her stool yesterday was slightly improved.

Today she has eaten almost a cup of kibble and her stool is about the same. Tomorrow morning she'll get another Cerenia injection for nausea and we hope it will get her thru the weekend and allow her to continue eating. We're very close to the line. If she isn't improving by Monday, we'll  probably have to say goodbye. As you can imagine, I'm spending every minute trying to coax her to eat and holding my breath waiting to see if it stays inside her.

I'm tired and emotional and trying everything I can think of to keep her going, but there isn't a lot more I can do.